exploring how to and not to

do relationships

by ken e. read

1|one

2|family

3|love

4|risk

5|different

6|peace

7|loyalty

8|submit

9|power

10|grace

11|discipline

12|gifts

13|blessing

12|gifts                   

The small group in Ellen’s living room had begun sharing prayer requests when Valerie revealed a serious medical need, and we saw the body of Christ spring into action. Lisa offered to prepare and deliver meals. Kathy began stopping by for daily medical checkups. Bethany came alongside Valerie with a hug and words of encouragement. Shawnee began to faithfully pray for her healing. Ellen organized gift baskets, and Charlotte went over Valerie’s budget to help her plan her finances. Dean challenged her to change some of her unhealthy lifestyle habits, and Daniel used his truck to help bring some new furniture to her apartment, which a member had anonymously donated. Everyone acted according to their gifting, and it was a picture of the beauty of the bride of Christ.

Spiritual gifts are gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit as he determines to all believers who are indwelt by him.[i] The purpose for the gifts is to build up the church and bring one another to maturity in Christ.[ii] The body has many members, each different, each important, and each with the same ultimate goal.[iii] Whatever the gift, the end result is the same.

There are few matters so important or so controversial in the church today as that of spiritual gifts. As much as possible, let us avoid the controversy and deal with this simple concept: the gifts are expressions of God’s grace given to drive us to greater maturity and unity in Christ. Any understanding of spiritual gifts should lead us to those same goals. To that end let us turn our attention now.

MYTH #22: We should each discover our spiritual gifts, so that we can find the most effective and fulfilling venue for doing ministry.

Perhaps you have taken a spiritual gifts indicator test and discovered your gift, or your gift mix. The next step is usually to look at a list of the programs of a church and find one that is the best match for your personal spiritual gift. Then you will be fulfilled and less likely to burn out, and you will be most effective in your service for the Lord. However . . .

TRUTH: Spiritual gifts were not given so that we could join a specialized program, but that we could know our best way to bring a group to maturity in Christ.

Do you notice how quickly we Americanize our views of even such matters as spiritual gifts? We immediately think of programs and think of ourselves in a specialized role. That kind of thinking is upside down.

It might help to picture instead everyone ministering to each other informally, as in the example at the beginning of this chapter. Spiritual gifts were given so that each member of the body would step forward and do the work that God has assigned to that person. Sometimes that implies some sort of an office or function (teacher, prophet or apostle), but most of those are surprisingly general within a small group setting.

Spiritual gifts are also not the same as personality traits or natural talents. This is an important distinction. Virtually every spiritual gifts indicator tool that I have seen is really more of a tool to show natural inclinations and personality, rather than gifts of the Spirit. Now, a distinction between “spiritual” and “worldly” is not always easy to make. But the Bible makes the distinction often, so it must be possible to discern spiritual things.

For example, based on my upbringing or even my genetics I may naturally be judgmental, or patient, or musical, or verbal. But those are not necessarily my gift from the Spirit. After my conversion, when the Lord regenerates me in my spirit, I may be granted an ability that I never had before. But the more I learn to walk in the spiritual realm and hear from the Spirit, the more that quality becomes the mark of the new me. It may correspond exactly with my “natural” gifts, but the Lord may take me in an entirely new direction.

The apostle Paul was eminently qualified to evangelize Jewish people. He had impeccable credentials, both in heritage and in education, and excellent rhetorical skills.[iv] Yet, as he carried out his ministry, the Lord undeniably called Paul to reach Gentiles. Who would have thought? At the same time, God called Peter, who was much less impressively qualified, to reach the Jews. [v] Yet, these gifts and callings were according to the sovereign will of God, and both apostles followed where they were led, to the glory of God.

Of course, on one level, it doesn’t really matter whether these are pure “spiritual” gifts or inborn traits; we are to use whatever gifts God has given us to serve others, and both talents and supernatural gifts of the Spirit are nonetheless gifts. Even so, let us continue to explore spiritual things, that we might discover our spiritual gifts, to the glory of the Giver.

Perhaps the best way for us to discern our spiritual gift is not to take an inventory test, or even to ask our friends which gifts on the list they think most closely describes us. Perhaps the best way is to pray and see in the spiritual realm the areas that God has called and used us.

·         When is my heart most stirred as I pray?

·         As I worship and intercede for others, when I am seeing things clearly from God, what requests do I tend to make?

·         When I am led to take action, in what direction is that leading?

·         In the last week, or month, or over the years since being a Christian, when has God clearly been in something he prompted me to do?

·         Are these images in my mind times when I have been more fully consecrated, more holy, and closer to God?

·         Does using this gift increase my humility or my pride?

·         Do I sense I supernatural power beyond my abilities, effort, or talent, as God pours out his blessing and anoints this kind of action?

·         Can I describe myself as walking in step with the Spirit or being filled with the Spirit when I am doing this ministry?

After asking those important questions, now take a look at the gifts which are listed in Scripture. See which ones seem to describe the images in your mind of times when God has carried you along in ministry beyond your understanding.

First, you might notice whether God seems to have gifted you more in the area of speaking or serving.[vi] Either way, use your gift according to God’s grace.

Jesus told a parable[vii] about a man with three servants. To one he gave five talents of silver, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his abilities. The first two servants worked hard and were able to double their master’s money, and they were rewarded well for their faithfulness in these relatively small things.

The third servant was bitter, perhaps partly because he was only given one talent. Now, a talent is a measurement of weight, about 75 pounds. That’s still a lot of money. But the point of this story is so clear that today we refer to a “talent” as a skill or gift, based on this story of Jesus. So this one-talent servant digs a hole in the ground and hides his master’s money, and presents it back to him. He brings back his master’s money, but did nothing to increase it. Why not?

Because he says “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid . . ..”[viii] The master does not deny that he is a shrewd businessman who does not always act in a “fair” way, but he still holds his servant accountable to have earned interest with his money. He calls the man wicked and lazy.

Many of us have deemed secretly that God is hard and unfair. He heals one person and not another, he lets wicked people live a long life and the righteous die, he gives wonderful talent to people who are undeserving (in our eyes), while I am left with this one talent, and it isn’t even the one I would have chosen if I had been given a choice. So, I sit on my potential, I bury my talent in the ground, and at the end of my life I give it back to God; just that much, and nothing more, because I did not invest and use it.

According to Jesus’ parable, that talent will be taken from this one who judged his master, and given (unfairly?) to the one who now had ten talents. So the one who had much got even more, and the one who did not have much, even what he had was taken away.

The moral of the story? Use what God has given you. As the clay cannot say to the Potter, “Why did you make me like this?”[ix] so we are not in a position to question whether God is fair or not in our eyes. He has reasons, and he distributes gifts according to our abilities.

Maybe in this list,[x] you see the areas in yourself that God has anointed. If so, Paul encourages us to use that gift with diligence and a good attitude.

·         Prophesying (declaring God’s truth as it is revealed to you?)

·         Serving (helping people in practical ways?)

·         Teaching (clarifying and explaining practical Christian living?)

·         Encouraging (building up individuals and groups by highlighting people’s strengths?)

·         Giving (meeting physical and perhaps financial needs?)

·         Leadership (seeing the big picture and being decisive and organized?)

·         Showing mercy (sensing hurts in others and coming alongside to give grace?)

When we dwell and function in the spiritual realm, sometimes God blesses our ministry in “the prophetic” areas of signs and wonders, or a manifestation of the Spirit’s work. These are controversial today, and very difficult to define. Nonetheless, perhaps you are seeing some of these[xi] arising in your special gifting from God:

·         message of wisdom (discerning what is wise in a given situation?)

·         message of knowledge (revelation of some secret in someone’s life?)

·         faith (sensing what God wants to do and trusting him to do it?)

·         gifts of healing (God regularly works healing in response to prayer and laying on of your hands?)

·         miraculous powers (doing things that are clearly supernatural as signs and wonders?)

·         prophecy (hearing words from God that encourage or convict someone else?)

·         distinguishing between spirits (sensing what is happening in the spiritual realm, especially in people?)

·         speaking in different kinds of tongues (being able to miraculously prophesy in another language? a prayer language, not intended to be understood?)

·         interpretation of tongues (interpreting what God said while someone else spoke in tongues?)

 Notice that the Bible always describes a gift, not multiple gifts. Your gift might be one of those in the lists found in Scripture, or it might be a unique mix of those gifts to serve as your gift. Or, it might be the motivation behind what you do. No matter how you get there, it is a gift given by the Holy Spirit as he chooses to give it, in order to make the body of Christ complete.

We should not confuse a role or position with a skill, but God’s gift may imply an office, which is also a gift from him. There are the five callings that Paul lists in Ephesians.[xii] In some traditions, a call to “the ministry” is seen as a call to all five positions (the fivefold ministry). Again, these are controversial, and it is unclear both what the offices were and whether they are intended for today, but perhaps the Lord has given you one of these roles:

·         apostles (missionaries? church planters? proven spiritual authority? oversee multiple churches?)

·         prophets (regularly demonstrate the gift of prophecy? preachers? seers? strong truth-declarers?)

·         evangelists (gift of “evangelism?” preachers? soul winners? Itinerant?)

·         pastors and teachers (gift of teaching, with the heart of a shepherd?)

 The purpose of all of these offices is “to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

We are to desire earnestly the greater gifts, especially that we might prophesy,[xiii] but the Bible doesn’t tell us to practice or in some way try to develop a gift. In that case, it would not be a gift, but a skill (which God still enables us to do, of course. All things are from him, after all.).[xiv]

 function within your anointing

God anoints certain people to do certain things. His anointing may be in general on Jesus (that’s why he was called The Christ, which means The Anointed One), but for the rest of us, his anointing is selective in certain areas. Such anointings of God are called spiritual gifts. We sometimes talk about the center of God’s will for a person. Or we talk about having a calling.

We might define calling as pursuing your passion in the right field to the point of maturity. When you find the passion God places in your heart, when you do your passion in the field to which God assigns you, and when you mature in it to Christlikeness, then you have found your calling.

First, find your passion. Ask yourself, “What gives you energy, rather than draining it?” You can get very excited about a short-term impulse, but try to discern whether this is of short-term interest or a lifelong passion. Pray and ask God to reveal to you how his Spirit has gifted you.

Practically speaking, you can find your passion by doing different specific ministries. You can keep records or send notes, sing in the choir or join the worship team, pray or join a prayer team, teach a class or preach a sermon, greet newcomers or counsel those who are troubled, join a work crew or prepare a meal, tithe to the church or sponsor a child, host a party or take in an international student, the list goes on. As you do those practical ministries, maybe it becomes clear to you what kinds of things you really are called to do.

Once you think you have found your passion, seek confirmation from others. Here is the test that we use to determine your spiritual gift: are you faithful and fruitful in it? Are you faithful, in carrying out this ministry over the long haul with care and excellence? And are you fruitful, is God blessing your efforts for him? Often, we lack the ability to measure our own effectiveness. We need trusted friends who will speak the truth in love into our lives.

So, you have found your passion, and it is confirmed by others who see your faithfulness and your fruitfulness in doing it. Now you determine the best field for your service for Jesus. Jesus said that those who are faithful in small things will be given greater things. Listen: There is no shortcut to spiritual leadership. It takes years, and almost always far more years than we think it should, for us to show mature fruit. Some ministries are best done with strangers in outreach; others within families; others in small group; others in the large assembly; others in an even more public venue. Let God open the doors as you discern the best venue or field for your ministry.

While doing your ministry faithfully in the field that God has given you, it is important that ongoing training and equipping takes place. Your pride could make you resist teaching, as you succumb to sophomoritis. The word sophomore means “wise fool,” and there is a reason that we call second-year students sophomores. They know just enough to be dangerous, and become unteachable, imagining themselves to be ready for ministry through their natural gifts. But Proverbs says it is not good to have zeal without knowledge or to be hasty and miss the way. Coupled with an unteachable spirit is a lazy spirit. If you can do the minimum and still seem to get almost the same results, human nature will tend to fall to whatever level gets you by. You don’t give your best, and your ministry suffers, but no one seems to notice or call you to task, so you let it slide. Perhaps you become, in Jesus’ words, a wicked, lazy servant.

The cure for the diseases of sophomoritis and laziness is ongoing training, discipling, equipping, admonishing, prophecy, teaching, study and sharing. If you do not continue to rise higher in your spiritual life, you will drift lower, without realizing it. Paul admonishes you to keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. We are told on every page of the New Testament to be about the business of continually, daily encouraging one another. We are not here just to exist together in this life. We need to climb higher, to move to maturity, to become fully formed into the image of Christ, and to increase in our knowledge and depth of insight. We are not just to get older and more experienced, but to grow wiser and more like Jesus.

So after you have found your passion, had your gifts confirmed by others, and you have found your field, then you press on toward the high calling in Christ Jesus. When you do this, my friend, you have fulfilled your calling. May we all find and fulfill our calling before God, living in the center of his will until he takes us home.

One of the best words of prophetic encouragement spoken into my life a few years ago is good advice that I want to speak into yours, as well. It is this: FUNCTION WITHIN YOUR ANOINTING. Find your anointing, and do that. Don’t do all the other stuff. I learned that painfully, by the way. It almost always is a painful lesson for us to learn what is NOT our anointing. But as you find your anointing (and the subject of anointing is a great future study for you to discover), function within it.